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03 February, 2014

The time before one's parents arriving is a special time. It is a time that flies past, hours spent like minutes, and yet it is a time to be treasured. Before the Arrival on one particular Saturday, I sat down with the 2012 Autumnal Yiwu from Pu-erh.sk. It turned out to be the best decision that I made all day.

The leaves are fruity and small, as pictured below. Oddly, it seems that I was making notes in my journal about the scent of this tea while planning the staffing of a new research centre in China. If indeed the proposed centre is built by my university, then I intend to ensure that my portion of it contains at least a representative quantity of pu'ercha for the researchers to keep their minds healthy. There's nothing like a good tea session to bring out the best in one's research - but maybe that's just me.

Stocking such a place with an autumnal Yiwu might be a good idea: this cake combines the best of accessibility and high quality. It has a slightly brown hue that reminds me instantly of "guhua" [autumnal, lit. "grain flower"] teas, but it is truly lovely: sweet, clean, and very fresh.

This range of characteristics is also true of the soup in the mouth, with its immediate buttery opening, its crisp profile that is easy to love, and its comfortable feeling at the back of the mouth.

Just as the parentile units pull into the driveway, I come to the end of this memorable tea session. It is Yiwu in an obvious and enjoyable way: it has the low tobacco of much of the tea from that region, with piles of dry fruitiness on top, perhaps accentuated by its autumnal status. It is approachable, slightly "purple" in its flavour, and entirely rewarding.

I must tear myself away from the tea-table and go and answer the door...